Monday, December 31, 2007

The last night of the year was a fairly busy around the NHL. There were 16 teams facing off in 8 games around the league. Former Islanders were active throughout the league on the final game of 2007. Let us take a look at their work:

* Boston captain Zdeno Chara capped the year with a 2 assist night, 1 powerplay, to help lead the charge in a 5-2 Boston Bruins win over the visiting Atlanta Thrashers. Chara assisted on the game tying goal and added one of the powerplay capper. He has 23 points (5 goals, 18 assists) on 39 games this season. He has had 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) on the man advantage.

* Wild forward Mark Parrish scored a shortlived tying goal as Minnesota was edged by the visiting San Jose Sharks 3-2. Parrish now has 16 points (9 goals, 7 assists) on 36 games this year. He has had points in the last 3 games with 2 goals and 1 assist equalling his longest streak of the season.

* Coyotes' forward Mike York assisted on his team's 2nd goal as Phoenix pulled off a 4-3 win over the visiting Colorado Avalanche in the SO. York has 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) on 34 games since joining the Coyotes for the 2007-08 campaign. With the assist, York snapped a 3 game point-less streak.

* Roberto Luongo received a loss in a close contest as the Vancouver Canucks lost 2-1 to the host Calgary Flames. Luongo stopped 18 of 20 shots and fell to 18-12-3 on the season.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

Only 4 games were on tap on Sunday night as we approach the end of the calendar year. Let us take a look at the Former Islander assistance:

* Martin Straka assisted on the opening goal of the game as the New York Rangers beat the visiting Montreal Canadiens 4-3 in OT. Straka is fully revived from an injury that hampered the first part of his season. He has 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists) on 24 games this season. Straka has 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) on his last 9 games including 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) over the last 2 nights.

* Most nights Roberto Luongo is a wall. He showed his talent for stopping pucks again on Sunday as he stopped 21 of 22 as the Vancouver Canucks dropped the visiting Anaheim Ducks 2-1. Luongo improved to 18-11-3 on the season in 32 starts. Helping the Ducks was Todd Bertuzzi who assisted on the lone Anaheim goal. Bert now has 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) on 27 games. He has a 4 game point scoring streak in which he has accounted for 1 goal and 3 assists.

Former Islander Watch has all the hottest NHL highlights and FI updates. Check back for the newest info soon.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

There were 26 teams battling in 13 hotly contested tilts around the NHL on Saturday. Former Islander efforts abound league wide. Let us take a look at the FI efforts:

* Derek Armstrong has struggled to find net this season, yet found a goal Saturday to spur a Los Angeles come-from-behind win. The Kings downed the host Colorado Avalanche 3-1. Armstrong's goal midway through the 3rd period briefly knotted up the game. He now has 16 points (3 goals, 13 assists) on 39 games. Armstrong snapped another cold streak, this time an 8 game goal-less and point-less stretch.

* It was a crazy game north of the border as the Washington Capitals beat the host Ottawa Senators 8-6 in a score-a-thon. Footnote points to Caps' defenseman Tom Poti who assisted on the 2nd of 4 Alexander Ovechkin goals. The helper was Poti's 12th of the season on 33 games. Poti snapped a 4 game point-less streak. Credit is also due to Viktor Kozlov who assisted on Washington's 5th goal with 3 seconds remaining in the 2nd period. Kozzer now has 23 points (3 goals, 20 assists) on 39 games. Kozzer has 4 assists over the last 4 games.

* Martin Straka notched some more points as the New York Rangers thumped the host Toronto Maple Leafs 6-1. Straka assisted on a powerplay goal in the 2nd period and had one of his own later in the frame. Second star of the game, Straka has 16 points (7 goals, 9 assists) on only 23 games. Over the last 5 games, Straka has 3 goals and 5 assists for 8 points, half his season production.

* Thrashers' d-man Alexei Zhitnik finally scored! Zhitnik had a powerplay assist and then capped the scoring as Atlanta blanked the visiting Boston Bruins 5-0. Recipient of the third star of the game honor, Zhitnik scored a goal for the first time this season. He went goal-less in his last 50 games (including 4 playoff games) dating back to March 18 of last season. Zhitnik now has 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) on 39 games this year. Over the last 2 games, he has 3 points on 1 goal and 2 assists.

* Wild defenseman Sean Hill and forward Mark Parrish lent assists in a big time Minnesota come back as they edged the visiting Edmonton Oilers 5-4 in OT. Hill had an assist as the Wild scored 4 straight goals to turn around a 4-1 deficiit. It was Hill's 2nd assist on 15 games. With the helper, Hill snapped a 9 game point-less slide. Parrish assisted on the 3rd Minnesota goal. Parrish has 15 points (8 goals, 7 assists) on 35 games this year. Over the last 5 games, Parrish has 3 points on 1 goal and 2 assists.

* Chris Osgood's season of excellence continued on Saturday night as he stopped 32 of 34 shots to backstop the Detroit Red Wings to a 4-2 win over the host Phoenix Coyotes. Ozzie is 17-2-1 on the year on 21 games (20 starts) with a skimpy 1.75 goals against average, a healthy .930 save percentage and only 2 shutouts.

* Todd Bertuzzi recent good play continued as the Anaheim Ducks fell to the host Calgary Flames 5-3. Bertuzzi opened the scoring for the Ducks with his 6th goal of the year, a powerplay tally. Bert has 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) on 26 games. He has 3 points (2 goals, 1 assist) in the last 3 consecutive games.

A slow night around the NHL as only 8 teams faced off in 4 games. Vying for midseason points, Former Islanders are helping their respective teams every which way they can. Let us take a look at their contributions from Friday:

* Arron Asham missed his chance for a goal as he was stuffed on the penalty shot with 3:34 remaining in the 1st period of what would turn out to be a 2-1 win by the New Jerseu Devils over the visiting Buffalo Sabres. Also missing a chance was Sabres' forward Tim Connolly in the second round of the SO frame.

* Olli Jokinen provided the lone offensive strike as the Florida Panthers were knocked around by the visiting Montreal Canadiens 5-1. O-Jok's goal in the 3rd period broke a 4-0 streak by the Habs the first two frames. The goal was Jokinen's 20th of the season and he now has 39 points (20 goals, 19 assists) on 38 games. Canadiens' d-man Roman Hamrlik received the primary assist on the opening goal of the game 1:42 into regulation. Hamrlik has 14 points (2 goals, 12 assists) on 38 games.

As the action heats up so do the recaps. Check back for the summaries from a busy Saturday.

Thursday, December 27, 2007

The league kicked back into high gear on Thursday night as 10 competitions saw 20 teams scrapping for important midseason points. Former Islanders are helping whatever ways they can. Let us look at the FI happenings from around the NHL:

* Three different efforts scored helpers as the Florida Panthers beat the host Atlanta Thrashers 5-3. Panthers' captain Olli Jokinen assisted on the opening tally of the night. O-Jok continues to keep up a consistent pace. He now has 38 points (19 goals, 19 assists) on 37 games. During his current 6 game point scoring streak, Jokinen has 7 points on 3 goals and 4 assists. Panthers' winger Richard Zednik assisted on the 2nd goal. Zed has 17 points (9 goals, 8 assists) on 33 games. Thrashers' defenseman Alexei Zhitnik snapped an improbably long 32 game point-less streak with an assist on the final Atlanta goal. The streak was career high for Zhitnik who has only 3 assists on 38 games this season. The assist was shorthanded, his first since January 30 during his brief stint with the Philadelphia Flyers. The drought was especially surprising considering Zhitnik had 38 points (7 goals, 31 assists) on 79 games last year between the Isles, Flyers and Thrashers.

* Capitals' forward Viktor Kozlov had an assist on the 2nd Washington goal as they dropped a 4-3 road decision in OT against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kozzer has 22 points (3 goals, 19 assists) on 38 games.

* Randy Robitaille burned his old team for an assist as the Ottawa Senators beat the visiting Islanders 5-2. The helper came on the final Ottawa goal of the night. Robby has 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) on 28 games. With the assist, Robitaille snapped a 3 game point-less streak.

* Mark Parrish scored the 2nd Minnesota goal as the Wild beat the host Phoenix Coyotes 3-2. The goal, his 8th of the season, came on the man advantage. Parrish has 14 points (8 goals, 6 assists) on 34 games. Parrish snapped a season high 15 game goal-less streak.

* Ducks' forward Todd Bertuzzi assisted on the first Anaheim goal as they beat the host Edmonton Oilers 2-1. Bert has 12 points (5 goals, 7 assists) on 25 games. Bertuzzi has been especially productive as of late with 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) on the last 7 games.

* Roberto Luongo got a little help from his teammates as the Vancouver Canucks downed the visiting Calgary Flames 5-3. Luongo stopped 29 of 32 shots to improve to 17-11-3 on the season. He is 4-1-0 since returning from a rib injury. Canucks' FI Taylor Pyatt pulled off a multi-point effort with a 1st period assist and the insurance goal in the 3rd. T-Py received 3rd star of the game honors and now has 20 points (9 goals, 11 assists) on 38 games. Adrian Aucoin provided some support for the Flames' drive notching 2 powerplay assists. Aucoin has 21 points (5 goals, 16 assists) on 37 games including 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) with the man advantage. Over the last 7 games, Aucoin has 9 points on 2 goals and 7 assists.

Check back soon for weekend game updates here at Former Islander Watch.

The NHL returned from the Christmas break with 9 exciting games of high energy hockey action. As 18 teams battled for midseason points, Long Island experienced the highly anticipated return of Jason Blake. It looked like Former Islanders were trying to crack off some post-holiday rust. Let us take a look at the handful of FI contributions from Wednesday night:

* Tim Connolly continues to be a consistent offensive force for the Buffalo Sabres even as his team struggles to keep pace in the high-powered Northeast Division. Connolly had 2 assists as the Sabres dropped a 5-3 home decision against the rival Ottawa Senators. Connolly received 3rd star of the game honors and now has 27 points (5 goals, 22 assists) on 28 games. He has 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists) on his last 11 games including 3 game winning goals.

* Jason Blake had a fairly uneventful night in his return to Long Island. Despite having a chance to notch the game winner in OT, he managed only 1 shot and was a -1 in 16:24 of ice time. The Toronto Maple Leafs lost 4-3 to the host Islanders on a last second Mike Comrie goal in the OT frame.

* Chris Osgood stopped 20 shots to post his second shutout of the season as the Detroit Red Wings blanked the host St. Louis Blues 5-0. Ozzie continues to dominate and improved to 16-2-1 with the win. The SO was Osgood's 45th of his career. Osgood is among the best with a .929 save percentage and leads the league with a paltry 1.73 goals against average.

The final night before the Christmas break brought us 8 games a playin'. As 16 teams fought for those all important midseason points, Former Islanders were filling their stockings with good play. Let us take a look at the FI gifts from Sunday night:

* Petteri Nokelainen is starting to look like a good acquisition for the Boston Bruins and a sad loss for the Isles prospect system. Nokelainen scored his 4th of the season in a 4-2 loss to the host Pittsburgh Penguins. He now has 5 points (4 goals, 1 assists) on 24 games this year netting all of those goals in the last 12 games. Captain Zdeno Chara assisted on the opening goal of the game for a shortlived Bruins' lead. Chara has 5 goals and 16 assists for 21 points on 36 games.

* A lot of insult as of late has gone towards the Islanders' lack of offense. Much of that attitude could be directed toward the stunningly impotent Rangers' offense. With the least goals per game (2.31), the Rangers are barely keeping their heads above water. That lack of scoring bit them again as the Ottawa Senators downed the 3-1 at Madison Square Garden. Martin Straka continues to pack on the points since returning from an early season injury. Straka assisted on the lone team goal 3:42 into the 1st period. He now has 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) on 21 games. He currently holds a 4 game point scoring streak in which he has tallied 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points. Since returning from injury, Straka has 4 goals and 7 assists for 11 points on only 14 games.

* Chicago d-man Brent Sopel continues to show how helpful he can be. Sopel assisted on the 2nd Chicago goal as the Blackhawks edged the visiting Edmonton Oilers 3-2. He now has 10 assists on 32 games this season. Over the last 6 games, Sopel has notched 4 assists. Edmonton forward Robert Nilsson keeps adding to his numbers. He assisted on the first Oilers' goal of the night, a powerplay tally. Nilsson has 3 goals and 12 assists for 15 points on 29 games. He snapped a 3 game point-less streak and has 2 goals and 9 assists for 11 points in the last 15 games overall.

* Vancouver goalie Roberto Luongo cannot win them all, despite his best efforts. Luongo stopped 29 of 32 shots but the Canucks' offense was not enough as they lost to the host Colorado Avalanche 3-1. Luongo dropped to 16-11-3 and entering the holiday has a .929 save percentage and a paltry 2.03 goals against average, both markedly improved from last year's stellar season. Canucks' forward Taylor Pyatt scored the lone team goal, a powerplay netter 6:57 into the middle frame. The goal was his 8th of the season. He now has 18 points (8 goals, 10 assists) on 37 games. Six of those points (5 goals, 1 assists) have come with the man advantage. With the goal, Pyatt snapped a 5 game point-less streak and a 6 game goal-less streak.

Merry Christmas and check back soon for more Former Islander reporting here at FIW.

Saturday, December 22, 2007

The NHL was buzzing on Saturday night with 11 games. As we rapidly approach the midseason, teams are voraciously battling for those all important points in the standings. Former Islanders are active on most of the teams around the league. Let us take a peak at the FI happenings from Saturday:

* Boston captain Zdeno Chara scored the lone goal for the Bruins as they struggled to find offense against the visiting St. Louis Blues in a 4-1 loss. The goal, the 5th of the season for Chara, came with the man advantage. Chara snapped a 3 game point-less streak and now has 20 (5 goals, 15 assists) on 35 games this season. He has managed half of those points (3 goals, 7 assists) on the powerplay. In a non-point related sidenote, Blues' d-man Eric Brewer had a +4 night. It was the best +/- night of Brewer's career.

* Capitals' forward Viktor Kozlov had 2 big assists including one of the game tying goal as Washington dropped a 3-2 OT decision to the host Islanders. Kozzer has 21 points (3 goals, 18 assists) on 36 games. With the assists, he snapped a 3 game point-less streak.

* Olli Jokinen continues to be one of the only goal scorers for the Florida Panthers. On Saturday he contributed the lone team goal as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the host Panthers 2-1 in OT. The unassisted goal with 20 seconds remaining in the 2nd period was O-Jok's 19th of the season. He has 37 points (19 goals, 18 assists) on 36 games. On his current 5 game scoring streak, Jokinen has 3 goals and 3 assists for 6 points. Over the last 11 games, Jokinen has an even more impressive 12 points on 7 goals and 5 assists.

* Montral defenseman Roman Hamrlik assisted on the tying goal midway through the 3rd period in a tight fought game resulting in a 3-2 SO win for the host Atlanta Thrashers over the Canadiens. Hamrlik has 15 points (2 goals, 13 assists) on 35 games. With the assist, Hamrlik snapped a 6 game point-less streak.

* Roberto Luongo continued to dominate in net and a couple of FIs came up big in the SO as the Vancouver Canucks edged the host Phoenix Coyotes 2-1. Luongo stopped 27 of 28 shots to improve to 16-10-3. He stopped another 3 of 4 in the SO to help seal the win. Capping the effort were Trevor Linden whose 3rd round SO goal extended the frame and 1st star of the game Taylor Pyatt whose 4th round SO goal, combined with a Luongo save, sealed up the win.

* Ducks' forward Todd Bertuzzi scored an insurance goal as Anaheim knocked off the host San Jose Sharks 5-2. The goal was Bertuzzi's 5th of the season. He now has 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) on 24 games. Bertuzzi has had 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) over the last 6 contests.

Six games were up for contention on Friday night as 12 teams fought it out for important midseason points. Former Islanders were lending their help where they could. Let us take a look at the FI efforts:

* Martin Straka lent a hand to the flacid Rangers' offense as the lackluster Blueshirts from New York dropped a 4-3 OT decision to the host Colorado Avalanche. Straka assisted on the 2nd and 3rd Ranger goals. He has 13 points (6 goals, 7 assists) on 20 games this year. In his current 3 game point streak, Straka has 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points.

* One of the most offensive (the good kind) FI defenseman in the league right now is Flames' blueliner Adrian Aucoin. He kept up his recent string of boxscore appearances on Friday as he assisted on the 2nd Calgary goal. The Flames lost 3-2 in OT to the visiting Dallas Stars. Aucoin has 6 goals and 13 assists for 19 points on 35 games. He currently holds a 5 game point scoring streak in which he has notched 7 points (2 goals, 5 assists).

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Eighteen teams were fighting for valuable points in the standings in 9 games across the NHL on Thursday night. Former Islanders are kicking in help wherever they can. Let us take a look at the FI happenings:

* FI prospect Petteri Nokelainen is finding his offensive ability. On Thursday he scored an important 3rd period goal in an amazing Boston comeback against visting Pittsburgh. The Penguins led 4-0 before the Bruins mounted a comeback in the last 24 minutes. Boston lost 5-4 in the SO. Nokelainen's goal with 6:46 remaining in regulation cut the Pens' lead to one. The goal was his 3rd of the season. Nokelainen has 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist) on 22 games this year. Petteri has all 3 of his goals in the last 10 games.

* Randy Robitaille assisted on the opening goal of the game as the Ottawa Senators were edged by the host Atlanta Thrashers 3-2. Robitaille has assists in 3 consecutive games. Robby has 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) on 24 games. The 3 game point scoring streak was his first since February 27 to March 3 of last season.

* Olli Jokinen keeps powering the Florida offense. He was at it again on Thursday night as the Panthers knocked off the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 5-4. O-Jok had a goal and an assist to improve to 18 goals and 18 assists for 36 points on 35 games. Jokinen scored the 2nd Florida goal and assisted on the third as Florida mounted a comeback. Teammate Richard Zednik assisted on the game winner with 6:54 remaining in regulation. Zed has 16 points (9 goals, 7 assists) on 31 games.

* Mark Parrish assisted on the second of 5 Marian Gaborik goals as the Minnesota Wild spanked the visiting New York Rangers 6-3. The helper came on the powerplay in the 2nd period. Parrish ended a 6 game point-less streak and now has 13 points (7 goals, 6 assists) on 31 games this year. On the Ranger front, Martin Straka scored a goal in the 2nd period. Straka has 6 goals and 5 assists for 11 points on 19 games. Over the last 4 games, Straka has 4 goals and 1 assist for 5 points. Backup goaltender Stephen Valiquette came in late to relieve the battered Henrik Lundqvist. Valiquette stopped all 4 shots he faced in his 6th appearance of the season.

* No!!!!!!!! Chris Osgood lost. Why God? Why? Sorry. Osgood stopped 21 of 24 shots but the Detroit offense fell 1 short as the host St. Louis Blues edged the Red Wings 3-2. Osgood "fell" to 15-2-1 on the season. St. Louis defenseman Eric Brewer had an assist on the powerplay game winner with less than 6 minutes remaining in regulation. Brewer stymied a 3 game point-less streak. He now has 1 goal and 7 assists for 8 points on 26 games. He has 3 points, all assists, on the powerplay this year.

* Roberto Luongo looks like a man with all his ribs completely intact. Two games returned from an injury, Luongo recorded another win. He stopped 33 of 35 shots as the Vancouver Canucks fended off the visiting Dallas Stars for a 3-2 win. Luongo also recorded an assist on the opening goal of the game 8 minutes into the 2nd period. Luongo improved to 15-10-3 on 28 games this year. Over the last 8 starts, Luongo is 6-1-1 with 4 shutouts. The helper was Luongo's 3rd of the year.

* Mike York opened the scoring 33 seconds into the 3rd period as the Phoenix Coyotes pulled off a coup of a win. The Coyotes, who took the lead early in the final period, fell behind midway through the 3rd only to tie the game on a shorthanded goal with 42 seconds left in regulation. After an uneventful OT, the Coyotes won in the SO defeating the host San Jose Sharks 2-1. York scored his 5th of the season and now has 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists) on 30 games.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

There were 4 games on the schedule on Wednesday night. While certain teams sink like stones (the Islanders), others recover from slowdowns (Chicago) and others continue to soar (Detroit), Former Islanders are active on many, many of those teams. Let us take a look at the FI efforts from this past evening:

* Brent Sopel had an assist on the game winning, shorthanded goal midway through the 1st period as the Chicago Blackhawks beat the visiting Nashville Predators 5-2. Sopel has 9 points this season, all assists, on 30 games this year. Three of his assists have come on the penalty kill, good for 2nd place (tied) in the NHL. Overall the last 4 games, Sopel has 3 assists.

* Anaheim defenseman Mathieu Schneider is an offensive force to be reckoned with. He scored the game winner with 1:29 remaining in OT to lift the host Ducks over the Colorado Avalanche 2-1. On 22 games, Schneids has 5 goals and 12 assists for 17 points. The game winner was the 2nd of the year for Schneider and the 34th of his career.

Busy, busy, busy around the NHL. Eleven games were in contention on Tuesday night. Teams are battling for those so important points as we reach the midseason. Former Islanders were again part of the picture on Tuesday night. Let us take a look at the FI happenings:

* We believe that without Martin Straka the New York Rangers will fail (and we hope so!). Straka was an offensive catalyst on Tuesday as the Rangers blanked the visiting Penguins 4-0. Straka assisted on the game winning goal 1:12 into the game and added an even strength goal in the 2nd period. Straka now has 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) on 18 games in what has been an injury-shortened first half of the season. Over the last 3 games, Straka has 4 points on 3 goals and an assist.

* Adrian Aucoin is a man revived after a couple of injury-plagued seasons in Chicago. Aucoin opened the scoring with a powerplay goal 3:37 into the 1st period as the Calgary Flames knocked off the host Columbus Blue Jackets 3-1. The goal was Aucoin's 6th of the season. Add to that 12 assists and Aucoin has 18 points on 34 games including 8 points (3 goals, 5 assists) on the man advantage. Aucoin is currently entrenched in a 4 game point scoring streak in which he has notched 6 points on 2 goals and 4 assists.

* Randy Robitaille was credited with an assist on the opening goal of the game as the Ottawa Senators edged the host Boston Bruins 3-2. Robby has 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) since leaving Russia to return to the NHL. Robitaille had points in consecutive games for this first time this season recording assists in the last 2 contests.

* Olli Jokinen assisted on the first goal of the game (a pattern tonight) as the Florida Panthers survived a late Montreal comeback to beat the host Canadiens 3-2. Jokinen has a balanced scoring approach this season with 17 goals and 17 assists for 34 points on 34 games. He has a current 3 game point scoring streak in which he has recorded a goal and 2 assists.

* Roberto Luongo returns from a rib injury and what does he do? Gets an shutout, that is what. Luongo stopped 32 shots to notch his 5th goose egg of the season equalling his output from last year in 48 less starts. The Vancouver Canucks blanked the visiting New Jersey Devils 5-0 in the process. Luongo improved to 14-10-3 and has a wonderful .928 percentage and a paltry 2.04 goals against average. Trevor Linden scored his 3rd goal of the season in the second to help pad the Vancouver offensive attack. Linden has 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) on 26 games.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Toronto defenseman Bryan McCabe, currently sidelined with a broken left hand, underwent surgery on Monday. He will miss 6-8 weeks recovering from the injury. McCabe broke 3 bones in his hand over the weekend in a game against the rival Montreal Canadiens. We wish McCabe a speedy recovery because without him FIW is just not the same.

There were only 2 games on the schedule in a slow night around the NHL. Let us take a look at the Former Islander happenings from Monday:

* Capitals' defenseman Tom Poti can help in big circumstances. On Monday he had a powerplay assist with 1:34 remaining in regulation to force OT. Washington eventually fell 4-3 in the SO to the host Detroit Red Wings. Poti now has 11 assists this season on 28 games. Over half of his helpers (6) have come with the man advantage. FI teammate Viktor Kozlov missed his attempt in the first round of the shootout.

* A recently revived Ryan Smyth is doing quite nicely for himself. Smyth opened the scoring 2:37 into the 1st period as the Colorado Avalanche dropped the host Los Angeles Kings 4-2. The powerplay tally was Smyth's 11th goal of the year. Smyth has improved considerably from a slow start and now has 28 points (11 goals, 17 assists) on 33 games this year. Over his last 9 games, Smyth has 5 goals and 9 assists for 14 points.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Five games were up for grabs on Sunday night as 10 teams battle for the oh-so-important midseason points. Let us take a look at the Former Islander efforts from Sunday:

* Mike York assisted on the first of 5 straight Coyotes' goals as Phoenix schooled the host New York Rangers 5-1. Snapping an 8 game point-less streak, York is given a good impression of the player he has become managing only 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) on 28 games this year. The whipping boy for the Rangers was backup goalie Stephen Valiquette who stopped 21 of 26 shots and fell to 1-2-1 on the year. He has a paltry .885 save percentage and a obese 3.13 goals against average in 5 appearances.

* Winger Arron Asham scored his 4th of the season, the game winner, as the New Jersey Devils beat the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 4-2. Asham finally stopped the bleeding at 19 point-less games. He now has 4 goals and 3 assists for 7 points on 32 games, a relative disappointment considering he notched his first 6 points in only 12 games.

* Flames' defenseman Adrian Aucoin assisted on the game winner as Calgary beat the host St. Louis Blues 5-3. Aucoin has found an offensive resurgence to his career and his name might be Jarome Iginla. Aucoin has 17 points (5 goals, 12 assists) on 33 games this year. Over the last 3 games, Aucoin has 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 points. Having played 26 less games than last season, Aucoin has already surpassed his points total (16) from his final season with the Chicago Blackhawks.

* Richard Zednik posted the game winning goal as the Florida Panthers downed the host Chicago Blackhawks 3-1. The goal was Zed's 9th of the year and his 3rd game winner. Zednik stopped a 4 game point-less streak and now has 15 points (9 goals, 6 assists) on 29 games this season. He is currently 4th on the team in points. The team leader, Olli Jokinen, assisted on the insurance goal. O-Jok is averaging a point a game with 33 (17 goals, 16 assists) on 33 games this year. Hawks' d-man Brent Sopel assisted on his team's lone goal with 30 seconds remaining in the 1st period. Sopel has 8 assists on 29 games and has managed 2 assists in his last 3 overall.

* Todd Bertuzzi assisted on the lone Ducks' goal and netted one in the first round of the SO as Anaheim dropped a 2-1 decision to the visiting San Jose Sharks. Bertuzzi now has 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) on 21 games. He currently has points in 3 consecutive games (2 goals, 1 assist). His SO goal, one of only 2 by the Ducks, helped make it possible for the sudden death frame to go 6 rounds.

Saturday, December 15, 2007

A busy night across the NHL as 26 teams battled in 13 games. Former Islanders are doing their part to help their teams as we approach the midseason. Let us look at the FI efforts from a very busy Saturday night:

* Tim Connolly has established himself as one of the Sabres' leaders. He is providing almost nightly for Buffalo and is currently 2nd on the team in points. On Saturday night he got a softy assist on the empty net goal to seal up a 3-1 home win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Connolly has 25 points (5 goals, 20 assists) on 26 games this season. He has scored points in 5 consecutive games and has 2 goals and 4 assists for 6 points in that time. Over the last 9 games, TimCo has 3 goals and 8 assists for 11 points or nearly half of his season total.

* Jeff Hamilton scored in the second round of the SO as the Carolina Hurricanes survived a late comeback by the host Philadelphia Flyers to pull off a 6-5 win. Hamilton was one of 3 Hurricanes' players to score in the SO set which only went 3 rounds. Other than that, Hamilton is currently stalled at 15 points (5 goals, 10 assists) on 31 games and has not had a point in his last 9.

* Petteri Nokelainen assisted on the game winner only 3:20 into the 1st period as the host Boston Bruins blanked the Columbus Blue Jackets 2-0. The helper was Nokelainen's first of the year. He now has 3 points (2 goals, 1 assists) on 20 games this season. The assist was his first since October 13, 2005, a span of 31 games.

* Randy Robitaille assisted on an insurance goal as the Ottawa Senators trashed the visiting Atlanta Thrashers 7-3. Robitaille now has 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) on 22 games this season.

* Chris Osgood's season of excellence keeps going. Ozzie stopped 33 of 35 shots to steer the Detroit Red Wings to a 5-2 home win over the Florida Panthers. Osgood improved to an amazing 15-1-1 on the season. He is 6-0-1 in his last 7 games overall. Olli Jokinen managed to get one past Osgood for the Panthers only 46 seconds in to the 2nd period. The goal was O-Jok's 17th of the year. He now has 32 points (17 goals, 15 assists) on 32 games.

* Ryan Smyth assisted on two Colorado goals, including the game winner, as the Avalanche beat the visiting Nashville Predators 3-1. Over the last 8 games, Smyth has had over half of his season production with 13 points on 4 goals and 9 assists.

* While Edmonton's Robert Nilsson saw his points streak end, the Oilers continue to play solid hockey. Edmonton downed the Roberto Luongo-less Vancouver Canucks 2-1 in the SO at home. Though there were no FI points there was still some action. Both Trevor Linden (first round) and Taylor Pyatt (third round) had their SO attempts stuffed. The attempt by Pyatt would have won the game if he had made it.

Check back soon for more highlights and updates here at FIW, your home of Former Islander news.

Friday, December 14, 2007

A slow Friday night in the NHL as only 4 games were up for battle. Former Islanders leave their mark in so many games, though, that we have some reporting to do. Let us take a look at the FI happenings:

* A boatload of FI scoring in Washington as the Capitals dropped a 5-3 decision to the Buffalo Sabres. Tim Connolly knocked in the game winner with 3:42 remaining in regulation. The goal was Connolly's 5th of the year but his 3rd game winning score of the season. He now has 24 points (5 goals, 19 assists) on 25 games this season. During his current 4 game point scoring streak he has 2 goals and 3 assists. Additionally, his 3 game winners have come in the last 7 Buffalo games. Caps' forward Viktor Kozlov assisted on his team's 2nd goal. Kozlov has assists in 4 consecutive games and now has 19 points (3 goals, 16 assists) on 32 games. Defenseman Tom Poti assisted on the final Caps' goal. On 26 games, Poti now has 10 assists.

* Flames' defenseman Adrian Aucoin assisted on his team's 2nd and 3rd goals as Calgary edged the host Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. One of his two assists was on the powerplay. Aucoin how has 16 points (5 goals, 11 assists) on 32 games this season. Over the last 2 games he has 4 points on 1 goal and 3 assists. Six of his points (2 goals, 4 assists) have come with the man advantage.

* A pair of FIs helped the Ducks on Friday night though it appears the Anaheim ship is sinking fast. The Ducks dropped a 5-2 decision at home against the Minnesota Wild. Anaheim finally scored a goal with less that 7 minutes remaining in the 3rd. Defenseman Mathieu Schneider assisted on that goal and now has an impressive 16 points (4 goals, 12 assists) on only 19 games this year. Scoring a consolation goal with 51 seconds remaining in regulation was FI forward Todd Bertuzzi. The goal was his 4th of the year and came on a late powerplay. Bertuzzi has 9 points (4 goals, 5 assists) on 20 games this season including 3 (1 goal, 2 assists) on the powerplay.

Thursday, December 13, 2007

The NHL schedule was loaded with games on Thursday with 20 teams facing off in 10 highly contentious competitions. Former Islanders gave their help as much as they could. Let us take a look at the FI happenings from the night:

* Zdeno Chara helped Boston record their lone goal of the night as the visiting New Jersey Devils downed the Bruins 3-1. Chara had a powerplay assist on the singular offensive effort from the Bruins', 1:31 into the third period. Chara has 19 points (4 goals, 15 assists) on 31 games this season with 9 of those points (2 goals, 7 assists) coming on the man advantage. Chara is currently on pace for 48 points (11 goals, 37 assists) which would be a new single season best.

* Robert Nilsson kept his hot streak going with 2 even strength assists as the Edmonton Oilers edged the host Detroit Red Wings 4-3 in the SO. Nilsson's career best streak continued with his first multi-point of this 8 game run. He has 9 points on 2 goals and 7 assists in that time. He now has 14 points (3 goals, 11 assists) on 25 games this year. He is rapidly becoming an offense force for the Oilers. He is currently tied for 6th on the team in points.

* To say that the 15 goal effort between the Calgary Flames and host Tampa Bay Lightning was a slow affair would be a fallacy. The Flames pulled off 2 hat tricks, only 2 nights after the Philadelphia Flyers managed the same accomplishment. For FIs, Adrian Aucoin got his share of the scoring sugar tapping in a powerplay goal and managing an assist in the 7 goal first period between the two teams. The extra man tally was Aucoin's 5th of the season. Aucoin has 14 points (5 goals, 9 assists) on 31 games. Aucoin snapped a 4 game point-less streak and is having moderate success on the powerplay with 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points.

* The Avalanche's Ryan Smyth notched his 10th goal of the season to open the scoring in Colorado's 2-1 win over the host Nashville Predators. Smyth has finally hit his offensive stride and now has 25 points (10 goals, 15 assists) on 31 games this year. Over the last 4 games, Smyth has 2 goals and 6 assists for 8 points.

* Vancouver Canucks' fossil Trevor Linden lent a hand to the team's flacid offense as they dropped a 5-2 decision to the host San Jose Sharks. Already missing injured goaltender Roberto Luongo, the Canucks fell in to their typical trap: lack of goals. Linden netted his 3rd of the season to notch his second goal in the last 5 games. He now has 5 points (3 goals, 2 assists) on 24 games this year.

Former Islander Watch has reached another milestone: 200 posts. To many that may seem like myriad postings on useless hockey inanity, but we here at FIW respectfully disagree. This site is a beacon of Former Islander knowledge, a chance for the respected minority, the FIs around the league to get their recognition considering they help turn the wheels of so many teams from highest contender to lowliest bottom feeder. (Was it not FIW that bemoaned the complete lack of playing time for Chris Osgood last off-season, a move that very well might have cost the Red Wings the Cup?) Anyway, thank you for reading. Now let us get to the recaps.

FIs were playing their parts in many of the 7 games around the NHL on Wednesday night. Let us take a look at their efforts:

* Tim Connolly likes scoring. Who also likes doing it against the Islanders. TimCo notched an assist on the insurance goal as the Buffalo Sabres downed the visiting Long Island squad 5-3. On pace for a personal best season, Connolly has 23 points 4 goals and 9 assists on 24 games this season.

* Martin Straka had a good night as the New York Rangers scraped out a point in a 5-4 OT road loss to the Washington Capitals. Straka, who saw his playing time earlier in the season hampered by an injury, now has 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) on 16 games. Straka snapped an 11 game goal-less streak that dated back to October 12. He also snapped a recent 4 game point-less streak. It was Straka's first multi-goal night since February 12 of last season. Caps' forward Viktor Kozlov had an assist on the team's 4th goal. Recently announced that he was no longer on the same line as Ovechkin, Kozlov is still doing well for himself. He has assists in 3 consecutive games and now has 18 points (3 goals, 15 assists) on 31 games.

* FI Petteri Nokelainen opened the scoring as the Boston Bruins beat the host Atlanta Thrashers 5-3. It was the second goal in 6 games for Nokelainen who now has 2 points on 18 games this year. It seems as if the Bruins are going to give Nokelainen limited ice time to see what he can do.

* Brent Sopel had a footnote assist as the Chicago Blackhawks knocked the Los Angeles Kings around for a 6-3 win. Sopel assisted on the 2nd goal of the game. Sopel snapped a 4 game point-less streak and now has 7 assists on 27 games this year.

* Taylor Pyatt had an assist on the game winning goal as the Vancouver Canucks beat the host Anaheim Ducks 3-2 despite the loss of injured starting goaltender, FI Roberto Luongo. T-Py assisted on the first career goal by rookie Jason Jaffray. Pyatt has 17 points (7 goals, 10 assists) on 31 games this season. Over the last 6 games, T-Py has 7 points on 2 goals and 5 assists. Ducks' d-man Mathieu Schneider, the focus of a lot of trade rumors, had the too-little-too-late goal with 1:31 left in regulation. The goal was Schneider's 5th of the season. He now has 15 points (5 goals, 10 assists) on 18 games. Over the last 5 games, Schneids has 6 points on 3 goals and 3 assists.

Check back soon. Trade rumors are heating up, action is intensifying and FIs are more focused than ever.

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

As of yesterday (December 11), Roberto Luongo has been labeled as day-to-day with a rib injury. The Vancouver Canucks' goaltender, who was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy last season, took a puck to the ribs in a game against the Minnesota Wild on the December 2. The puck for a gap between his padding. The extent of the injury is not currently known but Luongo will sit while backup goalie Curtis Sanford attempts to helm the ship in the meantime. Stay tuned for updates on Luongo's condition.

Five games were up for contention on Tuesday night as 10 teams struggled for precious points for the standings. Former Islanders are lending a hand anyway they can, except for Bryan Smolinski who the Montreal Canadiens announced will miss at least 6 weeks due to injury. Otherwise, let us look at the FI efforts from Tuesday:

* Olli Jokinen was, yet again, the offensive force for the Panthers. The Florida captain scored the lone team goal as they dropped a 2-1 SO decision to the visiting Calgary Flames. Jokinen opened the scoring 16:03 into the 2nd period with an unassisted tally, his 16th of the season. O-Jok has 31 points (16 goals, 15 assists) on 30 games this year and has 7 points (5 goals, 2 assists) on his current 5 game point scoring streak. Jokinen was stuffed on his SO attempt in the second round. He has been so important to the Florida offense scoring 31 points on 77 team goals meaning he has been involved in over 40% of the goal scoring.

* Robert Nilsson kept the longest streak of his career going. Nilsson had a powerplay assist on the tying goal that forced OT with 4:08 remaining in regulation. He now has 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists) on 24 games. In his current 7 game point scoring streak, Nilsson has 2 goals and 5 assists. He has shot up the team's statistics and is currently 7th on the team in overall point production.

That was it for FI efforts on the night. Check back soon for more FI/NHL highlights.

Monday, December 10, 2007

Former Islanders are kicking it into high gear as we are quickly approaching the midpoint of the season. FIs were at it again on Monday night in all 7 games up for grabs. They combined for an impressive 17 points (3 goals, 14 assists) and a win and loss in net. Let us take a look at the FI happenings:

* In a case of oneupsmanship, both Michael Peca and Mathieu Schneider notched 2 powerplay assists for their respective teams as the visiting Anaheim Ducks downed the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-3 in overtime. Schneider's second extra man assist came on the game winner with 1:46 remaining in the OT frame. Schneider has been an offensive powerhouse for the Ducks since returning from an injury he suffered in last season's playoffs. On 17 games, Schneider has 4 goals and 10 assists for 14 points. He has managed 8 of those points (3 goals, 5 assists) on the man advantage. He has 5 points (1 goal, 4 assists) in his last 4 games overall. Michael Peca has also been a nice addition for the Jackets. The oft-injured forward has managed to play most of the season so far in what is shaping up to be a late-career revival. Peca has 14 points (2 goals, 12 assists) on 22 games this season. It was the 4th multi-point game of the season for Peca.

* Sometimes the comedown from a hot streak can be extra disappointing. After winning 9 straight, the Devils lost for the second straight night. This time the visiting New Jersey lost 3-2 against the FI laden Washington Capitals. Backstopping the effort for the Devs was Kevin Weekes who lost despite stopping 21 of 24 shots. It was Weekes' first regulation loss of the season as he slipped to 2-1-1. Helping power the Caps' offense were 3 FIs. Viktor Kozlov and Tom Poti were each credited with the first Washington goal of the night, a powerplay tally. Kozlov now has 17 points (3 goals, 14 assists) on 30 games this season. The powerplay helper was Kozzer's 6th of the year. Poti has 9 points, all assists, on 24 games this season. Poti has benefited, notching 5 of his assists on the man advantage. Caps' defenseman John Erskine also got involved recording 2 assists, including one of the game winner. Erskine improved to 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists) on 17 games this season. It was his first multi-point night in over a year (December 2, 2006).

* Continuing the pattern of FI excellence opposing FIs helped their teams as the Boston Bruins downed the host Buffalo Sabres 4-1. Lending a hand on the lone Sabres' goal was Tim Connolly who notched a powerplay assist. Connolly now has 22 points (4 goals, 18 assists) on 23 games this year. Assisting on the final Bruins' goal was defenseman and captain Zdeno Chara. He now has 18 points (4 goals, 14 assists) on 29 games.

* Jason Blake might have finally found his goal-scoring side. Blake scored the first goal of the game, his 5th of the season, as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the visiting Tampa Bay Lightning 6-1. Blake now has 21 points (5 goals, 16 assists) on 31 games. Blake has managed 3 goals in the last 5 games after scoring only 2 in his first 26. It was the first time Blake had scored goals in consecutive games since March 27-30 of this last season.

* Chris Osgood's season of excellence continued on Monday night as he stopped 30 of 31 shots to lead the Detroit Red Wings to a 2-1 win over the host Nashville Predators. Osgood improved to a whopping 14-1-1 on the season while retaining the league's best goals against average.

* Robert Nilsson continues to burn it up offensively for the Oilers in a close one as the host Dallas Stars edged Edmonton 5-4 in OT. Nilsson recorded an assist for his 6th consecutive game with a point. He assisted on the opening goal of the game to improve to 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) on 23 games this year. Nilsson has 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) in the longest consecutive point streak of his young career. Also lending a hand was Raffi Torres who assisted on the team's 3rd goal. Torres also has 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) but on a considerably heavier workload of 30 games. Torres has notched 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) in his last 6 games.

* Los Angeles finally won a game and Derek Armstrong seems to be finding his offense self, finally! Armstrong scored the game winning and added a powerplay assist to lead the Kings to a 4-2 home win over the Vancouver Canucks. Armstrong received the first star of the game. Now 30 games into the season, Armstrong has 15 points including a whopping 2 goals and 13 assists. It was his second goal in 3 games after going 28 straight to start the season without. He now has 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) in his last 3 games. It was Armstrong's first game winning goal since February 12, 2006! Helping to lead the Canucks' charge was Taylor Pyatt who scored a powerplay goal and added a powerplay assist. Pyatt has 16 points (7 goals, 9 assists) on 30 games. Five of those points (4 goals, 1 assist) have come on the man advantage. Over the last 5 games, Pyatt has registered 6 points on 2 goals and 4 assists and is also starting to flash some offensive form after a slow start. It was the third multi-point night of the season for Pyatt.

Sunday, December 9, 2007

Only 4 games were on the NHL schedule on Sunday night limiting the amound of Former Islander action. Let us take a look at the little bit of FI news from Sunday:

* Ryan Smyth had a goal and 2 assists, including one on the game winner, as the Colorado Avalanche and visiting St. Louis Blues had an offensive throwdown resulting in a 9-5 Avs win. The victory was the 1,000th since the franchise moved to Denver in 1996. It seems Smyth is finally finding his form. He now has 24 points (9 goals, 15 assists) on 29 games this year. It was his third 3 point night in the last 5 games and on his current hot streak has 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists) in his last 3 games and 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) in his last 5 games. Also making a small contribution was Blues' defenseman Eric Brewer who received the secondary assist on the final goal of the game, a powerplay tally, with only 41 seconds remaining in regulation. Brewer snapped a 3 game point-less streak and now has 7 (1 goal, 6 assists) on 22 games this season. The powerplay helper was only the second of the year for Brewer.

Saturday, December 8, 2007

Eighteen teams battled it out in 9 games around the league including Sidney versus Roberto, Round 1. Formers Islanders were active in many of those games. Let us take a peek at their efforts from Saturday night:

* The surprisingly good Columbus Blue Jackets were edged by the visiting Minnesota Wild 2-1. Playing like a fully-healed man, Michael Peca is helping where he can. He assisted on the lone Jackets goal and now has 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists) on 21 games this year.

* A pair of FIs lent a hand as the Washington Capitals ran circles around the visiting Atlanta Thrashers 6-3. Defenseman Tom Poti assisted on the third Caps' goal and forward Viktor Kozlov assisted on the final team goal. Poti snapped a 5 game point-less streak with the helper and now has 8 points, all assists, on 23 games this season. Kozlov scored his first point in 3 games and improves to 16 (3 goals, 13 assists) on 29 games this season. Kozlov is on pace for a slightly hearty season as last year. At this rate, Kozzer would have 8 goals and 37 assists for 45 points compared to last year's career-reviving 25 goals and 26 assists (51 points).

* Jason Blake scored his 4th of the season, the only Toronto goal, as the Maple Leafs dropped a 2-1 decision against the visiting Boston Bruins. Blake opened a shortlived Leafs' lead 10:28 in the first to cap the teams offensive effort. Blake scored for the first time in 3 games and now has 20 points (4 goals, 16 assists) on 30 games.

* Sidney Crosby's first run through Western Canada was a route as the Pittsburgh Penguins downed the host Vancouver Canucks 2-1 in the SO to sweep their 3 game effort. Roberto Luongo, try as he might, could not lift the lackluster Canucks' offense. He stopped 31 of 32 shots and gave up on 2 goals on 6 sudden death chances but took the OT loss falling to 13-10-3. Also putting in their FI two-cents were Trevor Linden who scored on his attempt in the third SO frame and Taylor Pyatt who missed the net on his try in the fourth frame. If Pyatt had made his shot, he would have sealed victory for the Canucks.

* Tim Connolly is so good. So good. Connolly scored the game winning, shorthanded goal and added a powerplay assist as the Buffalo Sabres thrashed the hots San Jose Sharks 7-1. Connolly has 21 points (4 goals, 17 assists) on 22 games this season. It was only the 2nd shorthanded goal of Connolly's career and his first since March 21, 2000 during his rookie season with the Islanders. The gap between shorties was a span of 339 games! It was also Connolly's 7th multi-point game of the season.

Check back soon for more action including all the obscurest in Former Islanders hockey happenings here at FIW.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Former Islanders are helping lead the charge on teams around the league. On Friday FIs were active in many of 9 games up for contention accounting for 3 goals, 1 assist and a loss in net. Let us look at the FI efforts:

* Stephen Valiquette, filling in for the recently lackluster Henrik Lundqvist, was saddled with a loss as the New York Rangers dropped a 4-2 decision to the host Atlanta Thrashers. Valiquette stopped 18 of 21 shots but fell to 1-1-1 on the season.

* Where is the Islanders' offense? Not in South Florida as the Isles dropped a 3-0 decision to the Panthers. Tossing in an easy goal was FI Olli Jokinen who scored on the empty net with 12 seconds remaining in regulation. The goal was O-Jok's 15th of the season and his 30th point overall on 29 games.

* Word coming out of Orange County is that the Ducks are going to shift defenseman Mathieu Schneider to a forward position in the coming days. No, not really, but Schneider continues to burn it up as he scored another goal on Friday. The offensively-inclined d-man scored the third Ducks' goal and his 4th of the season to boost Anaheim to a 5-3 road win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Schneider now has 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) on only 15 games and has 3 points (1 goal, 2 assists) in his last 2 games overall.

* The Edmonton Oilers' Robert Nilsson is on one of the hottest streaks of his young career. On the other hand, the Oilers are still as bad as ever. Nilsson scored his 3rd goal of the season as the Oil dropped a 4-3 home decision against the St. Louis Blues. Nilsson received second star of the game honors and now has 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) on 22 games this season. He currently has a 5 game point scoring streak in which he has notched 2 goals and 3 assists. The streak is the longest he has ever had.

* Ryan Smyth continues to provide for Colorado while in the midst of a personal high point to the season. Smyth had an assist on the powerplay, game winning goal with 3 seconds remaining in the second period as the Avalanched edged the visiting Philadelphia Flyers 2-1. Smyth has managed 21 points (8 goals, 13 assists) on 28 games this season. Over the last 4 games, Smyth has 7 points on 2 goals and 5 assists.

Thursday, December 6, 2007

Six games were up for grabs on Thursday as 12 teams battled it out for mid-season points. Former Islanders were there, yet again, to try and help their teams. Let us take a look at the FI work from the night:

* Stephen Valiquette subbed in for recently lackluster Henrik Lundqvist for the third period as the New York Rangers droppped a 6-2 home decision against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Valiquette finished with no decision and only 4 saves on 6 shots. His record remains 1-0-1 on the season after 4 appearances.

* Roman Hamrlik had a powerplay assist on the opening goal as the Montreal Canadiens downed the host Boston Bruins 4-2. Hamrlik continues to average about half a point per game and now has 14 (2 goals, 12 assists) on 28 games this season. Five of those points (1 goal, 4 assists) have come with the man advantage. Also tossing in a powerplay assist was Boston captain, FI Zdeno Chara. Chara added the helper on the first Boston goal and now has 17 points (4 goals, 13 assists) on 27 games. Eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) have come with the extra man.

* The Vancouver Canucks found offense on Thursday, the same night they gave Roberto Luongo a rare rest. Taylor Pyatt continued his recent surge scoring a powerplay goal that knotted the score at 2. The Canucks finished off the host Nashville Predators 5-2. Pyatt scored his 6th of the season on the powerplay and now has 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) on 28 games this season. The powerplay tally was his 3rd of the year. Also getting involved was prehistoric FI Trevor Linden who scored an empty net goal with 38 seconds remaining in regulation. It was Linden's 2nd goal of the season. He now has 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) on 20 games this season.

* Los Angeles' Derek Armstrong finally scored! Armstrong snapped a 28 game goal-less streak stretching to last year. He also posted his first multi-point game of the season, his first since February 8. Armstrong scored the 6th goal in a 7 consecutive tally onslaught as the Kings slaughtered the visiting Buffalo Sabres 8-2. He scored on the powerplay and added a powerplay assist on the final goal of the night. Armstrong now has 13 points (1 goal, 12 assists) on 28 games this season.

A busy night across the NHL as 10 games were up for grabs. While the buzz was the arrival of Sidney Crosby in Western Canada, the excitement here was for all the Former Islander action. FIs were on fire scoring 8 goals and 9 assists for 17 points and a win in net. Let us take a look at the FI contributions from Wednesday night:

* Ryan Smyth has another big game. Smyth notched 3 points for the second time in 5 nights and has 6 points over his last 3 games. Smyth notched 3 assists, including one on the shortlived game tying goal, as the Colorado Avalanche lost 5-4 against the host Columbus Blue Jackets. He now has 20 points (8 goals, 12 assists) on 27 games this season. The 3 assist night was his first since January 4 when Smyth was still an Oiler.

* Zdeno Chara opened the scoring as the Boston Bruins blew an early 3 goal lead to lose to the host New Jersey Devils 4-3 in OT. Also racking up 33:14 of ice time, the goal was Chara's 4th of the season. He now has 16 points (4 goals, 12 assists) on 26 games.

* If it were not for Olli Jokinen the Florida Panthers would not even be able to muster the 4 goals that were not even good enough to defeat the Ottawa Senators. The Sens dropped the host Panthers 5-4 despite the best efforts of the Florida captain who is one of the few bright spots on this lackluster Southeast Division squad. Jokinen scored 2 goals, one powerplay, and added an assist for his fourth 3 point game of the season. O-Jok now has 14 goals and 15 assists for 29 points in 28 games. Over the last 3 games, Jokinen has 5 points on 3 goals and 2 assists. Lending a hand on the second O-Jok goal was fellow FI Richard Zednik. With the assist Zed now has 14 points (8 goals, 6 assists) on 24 games. Helping the Ottawa attack was second star of the night Randy Robitaille whose 2 goals, including the game winner, helped the Sens snap their recent slide. His second 2 goal game of the season, Robitaille snapped a 13 game goal-less streak. He now has 6 points (4 goals, 2 assists) on 18 games this season. The game winner was Robitaille's 10th of his career and first since January 27 shortly after he had joined the Islanders for a second stint.

* Taylor Pyatt sometimes flashes the offensive ability that earned him a new contract with the Vancouver Canucks in the offseason. Pyatt notched 2 assists, including one on the game winner, to help the Canucks pull off a 3-2 win over the host Chicago Blackhawks. Pyatt now has 13 points (5 goals, 8 assists) on 27 games this year. Roberto Luongo also did his thing for Vancouver stopping 25 of 27 shots to record the win. Luongo improved to 13-10-2. Both his save percentage (.923) and goals against average (2.17) are currently improved over last season when he notched 47 wins.

* Robert Nilsson is on a hot streak while Edmonton remains, well, Edmonton. The Oilers dropped a 4-2 decision against first-time visitor Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins (sounds like a band name). Nilsson scored his 2nd goal of the season to open the scoring. Snapping an 11 game goal-less streak, Nilsson now has 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists) on 21 games. He has scored 4 points in the last 4 games (1 goal, 3 assists) tying the longest point scoring streak of his career. The last time he had 4 or more points in 4 games was between March 19-25, 2006 when he was still with the Isles.

* Finally, Mathieu Schneider is back on the boxscore. Snapping a 4 game point-less streak, Schneider scored the game winning powerplay goal and added a powerplay assist on the final goal of the game to power the Anaheim Ducks to a 4-1 win over the visiting Buffalo Sabres. We have no clue how Schneider did not get a star of the game slot! Mats (that is what he used to be called) now has 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) on 11 games this season. Six of those points, including all of his goals, have come with the man advantage. Also boosting the Anaheim offense was Todd Bertuzzi who scored an insurance goal. With 15 games played, Bert now has 7 points on 2 goals and 5 assists. Tim Connolly had the secondary assist on the lone Buffalo goal. Averaging nearly a point a night, Connolly now has 19 points (3 goals, 16 assists) on 20 games this season. Connolly is currently working on a career season, if he can stay healthy, and is on pace for about 73 points.

Check back soon for more FI highlights here at your home for the "once were" Islanders.

A surprisingly heavy schedule on Monday, 6 games were up for grabs. Mid-season battles rage on as the NHL action is reaching a boiling point. Some continue to rise while others are currently struggling to maintain ground. Former Islanders are active players for every kind of team out there right now. Let us take a look at their efforts from Monday:

* Not a major boxscore accomplishment, Michael Peca missed his SO attempt in the first of 5 sudden deaths frames as the Columbus Blue Jackets lost to the visiting Dallas Stars 2-1.

* FI prospect Petteri Nokelainen broke through to score the game winner against his old team as the Boston Bruins downed the host Islanders 3-1. Playing in his 13th game with Boston, Nokelainen scored his 1st of the season and 2nd of his short career. A one-time 15-game player with the Isles during the 2005-06 season, Nokelainen has since found his way to the Bruins. Recently promoted to the 3rd line, Boston is hoping to find his offensive potential. The goal was also his first point of the season. Oddly enough, both of Nokelainen's career goals have been game winners.

* Yet again Raffi Torres and Robert Nilsson shared space on the same boxscore. For the third straight game, the two Oilers' FIs notched points for Edmonton. This time the Oil edged the host Los Angeles Kings 4-3 in the SO. Torres assisted on the first Edmonton goal 1:34 into the second period. Finally topping double digits, Torres has 10 points (5 goals, 5 assists) on 28 games this season. Over the last 4 games, Torres has 4 points on 2 goals and 2 assists. Nilsson assisted on the third Edmonton goal late in the second period. Nilsson is in the midst of a 3 game streak in which he has notched 3 assists. He has 8 points (1 goal, 7 assists) on 20 games this year. Nilsson also missed his attempt in the sudden death frame. Getting involved for the Kings was Derek Armstrong who assisted on the tying goal with 1:18 remaining in regulation. Yet to tickle the twine, Armstrong has 11 assists on 26 games this season.

Only 3 games were in contention on Sunday night. Former Islanders were active in 2 of those competitions. Let us look at their contributions from Sunday:

* Roberto Luongo loss a close one as the Vancouver Canucks dropped a 2-1 decision to the host Minnesota Wild. Luongo stopped 28 of 30 shots but was saddled with the loss due to the continued absence of Canuck offense. Following a 3-consecutive game shutout streak, Luongo gave a valiant effort but is now 12-10-2 on the season. Helping the lackluster Vancouver attack was Taylor Pyatt who received the secondary assist on the lone team goal. Snapping a 3 game point-less streak, Pyatt now has 11 points (5 goals, 6 assists) on 26 games this season, good enough for 6th on the team.

* A game after both appeared on the boxscore, FIs Raffi Torres and Robert Nilsson were at it again on Sunday as the Edmonton Oilers shocked the defending Stanley Cup Champion Ducks 4-0 in Anaheim. Torres scored the game winner 9:29 into the first period. With 3 points in the last 3 games, Torres now has 9 this season on 5 goals and 4 assists on 27 games. The game winner was Torres' second of the year. Nilsson had a powerplay assist late in the first period. Nilsson now has 2 assists in as many games. With 7 points (1 goal, 6 assists) on 19 games this season it is looking good that Nilsson might stick around with the Oil for the rest of the year.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

The first day of December was jam-packed with NHL action. Twelve games were up for grabs as 24 teams battled it out for those all important points. Former Islanders were buzzing in many of those competitions scoring 6 goals, 9 assists and a win in net. Let us take a peek at their contributions from Saturday:

* Martin Straka and the New York Rangers are glad to be back together. Straka assisted on a powerplay insurance goal as the Blueshirts downed the flailing Ottawa Senators north of the border 5-2. Only back from an injury for 4 games, Straka has added 3 assists in that time. Straka now has 6 points (2 goals, 4 assists) on 11 games this season.

* A rare goal from an obtuse FI is one of the major highlights of the night. The Florida Panthers' Branislav Mezei scored the lone goal for his team as the Washington Capitals downed the hosts 2-1. This was only the second point of the season for Mezei and his first goal of the year on 24 games. Mezei had not scored a goal since January 1, 2003 a span of 139 games and almost 5 years! In fact, it was only Mezei's 4th goal of his career in 207 games since the 2000-01 season. Of course assisting on the goal was the lone Panthers' powerhouse, Olli Jokinen. O-Jok is running just below a point a game with 26 (12 goals, 14 assists) on 27 games this year.

* Tim Connolly, when healthy, is one of the most energetic and talented forwards in the NHL. Connolly continued to flash his offensive brilliance as the Buffalo Sabres slaughtered the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 8-1. Connolly scored the game winning powerplay goal and added a shorthanded assist to help power the Sabres 8 goal streak. He now has 18 points (3 goals, 5 assists) on 19 games this season with 10 points coming on the special teams. The shorty assist was Connolly's first since December 29, 2005.

* Chris Osgood continues to shine for the Redwings as notched another win and recorded an assist as Detroit dropped the visiting Phoenix Coyotes 3-2. Ozzie improved to 13-1-1 with a .924 save percentage and a league-leading 1.79 goals against average. On 16 games, Osgood has also notched 3 assists to lead goaltending point scoring.

* Roman Hamrlik has been a quality substitute for the exit of the now injured Sheldon Souray. Despite snickers that he would not be able to fill the void, Hamrlik has been a force at the blue line for the Montreal Canadiens. He helped yet again on Saturday as the host Habs dropped a big lead to the Nashville Predators and lost in the SO 5-4. Hamrlik has 2 assists, 1 on the man advantage, to improve to 13 points (2 goals, 11 assists) on 26 games. Hamrlik snapped a 4 game point-less streak in the process. Not quite the powerplay specialist Souray was, Hamrlik has 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) with the extra man.

* Jason Blake snapped a huge goal-less streak to help power a 4-2 win for the Toronto Maple Leafs over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins. Blake scored the second goal of the night and his 3rd of the season. Blake had gone 18 games without a tally. He now has 19 points (3 goals, 16 assists) on 27 games this year. Leafs' defenseman Bryan McCabe received a powerplay assist on the game winner. With 21 games under his belt, McCabe has 12 points on 4 goals and 8 assists. Nine of those points (3 goals, 6 assists) have come on the powerplay.

* Adrian Aucoin is revived, enough said! Aucoin helped Calgary briefly knot the competition up as the Flames dropped a 4-3 OT decision at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Only 15 seconds after the Jackets took a 3-2 early in the third period, Aucoin tied it up with his 4th goal of the season. Earlier, Aucoin was credited with the primary assist on Calgary's first goal, on the powerplay, in the second period. Aucoin now has 12 points (4 goals, 8 assists) on 26 games this season. It was his third multi-point night of the year, very impressive considering he had no such games in 59 competitions with Chicago last season. Helping the Columbus offense was center Michael Peca who assisted on the opening score of the game. With 18 games played this season, Peca is doing pretty well for himself notching 11 points on 2 goals and 9 assists.

* With all the stops-and-starts to Ryan Smyth's season, his effort finally paid off big on Saturday. Smyth scored 2 goals and added an assist for the Colorado Avalanche as they dropped the host Los Angeles Kings 5-2. Smyth's biggest night so far as an Av, he now has 17 points (8 goals, 9 assists) on 25 games. In the process, Smyth snapped a 3 game point-less streak.

Seven games were up for grabs on the last night of November. Former Islanders continue to offer their help as teams scramble for mid-season positioning. Let us enjoy a glimpse at the FI contributions from Friday night:

* Viktor Kozlov is thriving (on and off) in his supporting role alongside Alex Ovechkin. Kozlov notched another assist on Friday as the Washington Capitals began their come-from-behind win over the host Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. With 26 games down, Kozzer has 15 points on 3 goals and 12 assists.

* Eric Brewer, who was saddled by an injury early in the season, is continuing to return the offensive defenseman proficiency he is known for. Brewer assisted on the first St. Louis goal as the Blues dropped a 3-2 OT decision against the host Minnesota Wild. In 18 games, Brewer has 6 points on 1 goal and 5 assists.

* In an offensive outpouring, like the 6-1 thumping the Chicago Blackhawks levied on the visiting Phoenix Coyotes, it can be hard to note the small FI efforts that make a difference. On Friday, Hawks d-man Brent Sopel assisted on the game winning goal. It is a continuation of some excellent play from Sopel as of late. Sopel now has 6 points (all assists) on 22 games this season and ended a 4 game point-less streak. He has been a force on the revitalized Blackhawks' blue-line.

* A couple of Oilers' FIs got in on the action as Edmonton shocked the visiting Anaheim Ducks in a 5-1 thrashing. Raffi Torres assisted on an insurance goal in his team's offensive surge. Torres now has 8 points in 26 games on 5 goals and 3 assists. With 2 assists in as many games, Torres had points in consecutive games for the first time this season. Also getting involved was young forward Robert Nilsson who assisted on the final tally of the night. Now 18 games into the season, Nilsson has 6 points on 1 goal and 5 assists.

That wraps it up for Friday night. Check back soon for the full weekend updates here at FIW.

Friday, November 30, 2007

Action was hot on Thursday as 14 teams faced off in 7 highly competitive tilts. Former Islanders were there, yet again, providing push for many teams looking to dominate as the mid-season roars on. Involved in every game, FIs contributed with 3 goals, 5 assists and 2 wins in net (including a shutout). Let us take as look at FI workload from the night:

* Jason Blake assisted on the opening goal as the Toronto Maple Leafs downed the host Atlanta Thrashers 4-2. With 26 games down, Blake has 18 points on 2 goals and 16 assists.

* Only 3 games returned from an injury that had sidelined him since late October, Martin Straka helped the New York Rangers down the visiting Islanders 4-2. Straka assisted on the first and final goals of the game. He snapped a 6 game point-less streak and improved to 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) on 10 games this season.

* If Dominik Hasek retired tomorrow the Detroit Redwings would actually become a better team! Chris Osgood continued his amazing form on Thursday as the host Redwings downed the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2. Ozzie stopped 21 of 23 shots to improve to an amazing 12-1-1 on the season.

* Zdeno Chara has struggled offensively so far this season as he attempts to captain Boston back into the playoffs. On Thursday night no struggle appeared to be there as the Bruins downed the host Florida Panthers 4-3. Chara opened the scoring with his 2nd of the season and added a powerplay goal, his 3rd, in the second period to power the Bruins' offense. He received first star of the game credits and now has 15 points (3 goals, 12 assists) on 23 games this year. Olli Jokinen added the too-little-too-late goal with 30 seconds remaining in regulation for the Panthers. O-Jok is a powerhouse right now for Florida with 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists) on 26 games this year.

* Randy Robitaille ended his recent offensive woes as the Ottawa Senators lost in a last-second shocker to the visiting Nashville Predators 6-5. Robitaille assisted on the second Sens goal to snap a 10 game point-less streak. He has 4 points (2 goals, 2 assists) on 15 games this season. Robitaille is still mired in an 11 game goal-less streak.

* Todd Bertuzzi assisted on the first of four consecutive Ducks goals as Anaheim dropped the host Calgary Flames 4-1. With 4 assists in his last 4 games, Bert now has 6 points (1 goal, 5 assists) on 12 games this year.

* Roberto Luongo is now on fire! Luongo stopped 26 shots as the Vancouver Canucks blanked the visiting Columbus Blue Jackets 2-0. He now has 3 straight shutouts for the first time in his career. His current shutout streak stands as 195 minutes and 34 seconds. With the win, Luongo improved to 12-9-2 and his flashing the brilliance that made him a Vezina Finalist last season. In the process, Luongo has dropped his goals against average (2.18) and raised his save percentage (.922). Over the last 3 games, Luongo has 79 straight shots.

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Nine games were in contention on Wednesday night as 18 teams battle for those all-important midseason points. Former Islanders are contributing every which way they can. With 2 goals, 4 assists a couple of SO goals and a couple more failed SO attempts, FIs were trying. Let us take a look at their work from Wednesday:

* A Tim Connolly multi-point night went to waste as the Buffalo Sabres dropped a home decision in the final minute of regulation to the St. Louis Blues 4-3. Connolly received a secondary assist on a Buffalo powerplay tally and added a primary assist on the shortlived game tying goal. Connolly has 14 points (2 goals, 12 assists) on 17 competitions this season.

* Randy Robitaille had a goal waved off and was stopped on a chance in the SO as the Ottawa Senators dropped a 3-2 decision to the host New York Islanders. Robitaille is mired in a 10 game point-less streak since scoring 2 goals on November 1. This was his first game against the Isles since parting ways with the team in the offseason.

* There was a wild sudden death finish to the Florida-Washington game as the Panthers downed the host Capitals 2-1 in the 11th round of the SO! Panthers' FI Richard Zednik opened the scoring with his 8th goal of the season, a powerplay tally, 4:49 into the first period. Zed has now played 22 games this season posting 13 points on 8 goals and 5 assists. However, the real fun began in the SO. Let us look at what each FI did:

* Mark Parrish assisted on an insurance goal as the Minnesota Wild downed the visiting Phoenix Coyotes 3-1. Parrish is now averaging half a point a game with 12 (7 goals, 5 assists) on 24 tilts this year.

* Raffi Torres scored the first Oilers' goal of the night and defenseman Denis Grebeshkov assisted on the second as Edmonton lost yet another game, this time 4-2 at the hands of the host Colorado Avalanche. The goal was Torres' 4th of the season. With it he snapped a 14 game point-less streak and a 17 game goal-less streak. He now has 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists) on 25 games this season. Grebeshkov has quietly but confidently strung together a 3 game assist streak. He has 4 points (all assists) on 20 games this year. This is the first scoring streak of any sort for his short career.

Three games were up for grabs on Tuesday as 6 teams battled for the all important mid-season points. Former Islanders are kicking it in to high gear with many shaking off early season rust. Let us take a look at their contributions from Tuesday night:

* Somehow, when the Detroit Redwings start super backup goaltender Chris Osgood they keep the shots against low. They did it again on Tuesday as Ozzie turned aside 19 of 22 shots to help his turn record a 5-3 home win over the Calgary Flames. The awesome season Osgood is having continued to get better as he improved his record to 11-1-1 on the year. His .925 save percentage is good enough for 6th in the NHL and his 1.76 goals against average tops the league.

* Their was big FI action as the Montreal Canadiens shutdown the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 in the SO. For Les Habs, Bryan Smolinski received a powerplay assist on the Montreal's 3rd goal. Smoke has 11 points (2 goals, 9 assists) on 24 games since joining the Canadiens in the postseason. Toronto defenseman Bryan McCabe assisted on the 2nd Maple Leafs' goal. McCabe recorded an unbelievable 34:52 of ice time and with the helper has 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) on 19 games this year. Toronto winger Jason Blake assisted on the opening goal of the game and the tying goal with 18 seconds left in regulation for a multi-point night. He also missed his 5th round sudden death attempt that would have extended the SO frame. Following a cold slump, Blake is starting to warm up with 3 points in his last 2 games. He now has 17 points on 2 goals and 15 assists on 25 games this season. At the 25 game mark last season, Blake had 27 points on 14 goals and 13 assists, quite an offensive fall off for a player who notched 40 goals last season for the first time in his career.

* Roberto Luongo is starting to look more like his old self. He stopped 26 shots to help the Vancouver Canucks blank the visiting Anaheim Ducks 4-0. The shutout was the 2nd in as many games for Luongo who has improved to 11-9-2 on the season with a .918 save percentage and a shrinking 2.28 goals against average. This was his 3rd shutout of the season and surprisingly the first time he has posted back-to-back shutouts since October 5-7, 2005 when he was still with the Florida Panther and only the third time ever he has accomplished the feat.

Thanks for stopping by for all your Former Islander/NHL updates. Check back soon with FIW.

Four games were up for grabs on Monday night around the NHL. Former Islanders keep hustling as they continue to push their teams to the top of the mid-season points contention. Let us take a look at the FI efforts from Monday:

* Bruins captain Zdeno Chara notched 2 assists as Boston beat the host Philadelphia Flyers 6-3. Chara had an even strength helper in the first period then added one on the empty net goal to pull off the multi-point effort. Chara, 22 games into the season, has 13 points on 1 goal and 12 assists.

* Another game, another cavalcade of FI action. The Columbus Blue Jackets dropped a 3-1 decision to the poor Edmonton Oilers. FI d-man Denis Grebeshkov assisted on the game opening Oilers' goal. It was his second assist in as many games. He now has 3 points (all assists) on 19 tilts this season. Michael Peca assisted on the lone Columbus tally on the powerplay in what would be the temporary game tying goal. Peca has been pretty steady when he has been healthy managing 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) on 16 games. Then, Robert Nilsson was credited with the primary assist on the game winning goal. The young winger snapped a 6 game point-less streak to up his season totals to 1 goal, 4 assists and 5 points on 16 games.

That was it for Monday night FI action. Check back soon for more updates on Former Islander Watch.

Four games were on the schedule on Sunday night. Former Islanders are yet again in the fray trying to help their respective teams however they can. FIs were responsible for 5 assists and a shutout. Let us take as look at their contributions from Sunday night:

* Blues' defenseman Eric Brewer assisted on the game winning goal only 27 seconds into the game to help lift St. Louis over the visiting Calgary Flames 3-0. In his 16 games this season, Brewer has 5 points on 1 goal and 4 assists.

* The FI action was heavy on Sunday night as the host Anaheim Ducks downed the Los Angeles Kings 3-2. On the losing side, Derek Armstrong notched an assist on the opening goal. Now 23 games into his season, Armstrong has still not scored a goal. He has 10 assists on the season but is struggling to find net while mired in a 24 game goal-less streak dating back to last season. Ducks' defenseman Mathieu Schneider assisted on the first Anaheim goal. Schneider snapped a 2 game point-less streak, his longest of the season, and now has 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists) on only 9 games this year. Todd Bertuzzi then added the primary assists on the second Ducks' goal and the game winner. With a mere 10 games played this season, Bert has 5 points on 1 goal and 4 assists. This was Bertuzzi's second multi-point game of the season with his prior coming on October 3 (only 3 games in).

* Roberto Luongo turned back 27 shots to record his 2nd shutout of the season as the Vancouver Canucks downed the visiting Chicago Blackhawks 2-0. Recipient of the first star of the game, Luongo improved to 10-9-2 with the win.

The action was hot on Saturday night as 24 teams faced off in 12 games. Former Islanders, never to be underestimated, were there helping their teams as the competition gets tougher as we head closer to the midpoint of the season. FIs notched a game winning goal, 4 assists and a SO goal for the night. Let us take a peek at their work from Saturday:

* A couple of competing FIs gave their two cents as the Toronto Maple Leafs fell to the host Phoenix Coyotes 5-1. Yotes' winger Mike York assisted on an insurance goal to improve to 7 points (4 goals, 3 assists) on 19 games this season. Leafs' winger Jason Blake assisted on the team's lone goal. Blake snapped a 9 game point-less streak where he all but disappeared from the Toronto boxscore. Blake now has 13 points on 2 goals and 11 assists in 24 competitions this season, quite a dropoff considering he had nearly a point a game before the offensive drought.

* Capitals' defenseman Tom Poti posted yet another powerplay assist as Washington downed the visiting Carolina Hurricanes 5-2 on Saturday. With 17 games under his belt this season, Poti has 7 assists with 3 of those helpers coming in the last 2 games. Poti has been a force on the powerplay notching 4 assists on the man advantage.

* Michael Peca scored a SO goal to help propel the Columbus Blue Jackets to a 3-2 win over the divisional rival Detroit Redwings. His SO goal sparked the first of 3 consecutive sudden death tallies by the Blue Jackets.

* Adrian Aucoin notched the game winner for the hot Calgary Flames as they downed the host Colorado Avalanche 5-2 on Saturday. The goal was his 3rd of the season. Aucoin now has 10 points (3 goals, 7 assists) on 23 games this season.

* Mark Parrish assisted on the third Minnesota goal as the Wild downed the host Nashville Predators 4-3. Parrish snapped a 4 game point-less streak and now has 11 points on 7 goals and 4 assists in 23 games this season.

* FI defenseman Denis Grebeshkov notched an assist to snap a 12 game point-less streak. Grebeshkov now has 2 assists on 18 games this season. His assist came on the first Edmonton goal as the Oilers dropped the visiting Chicago Blackhawks in a 3-2 SO decision.

That wraps it up for Saturday night. Check back for more nightly highlights here at FIW.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

The action intensified on Friday night in 10 games across the NHL. With so many points up for grabs so early in the season, teams are scrambling to stock up early. Former Islanders were there, as always, to help pick up the pace. FIs posted 2 goals, 8 assists, a SO game winner and a loss in net. Let us take a look at their contributions:

* Two FIs helped the Washington offense which has struggled so much as of late as the Capitals pulled off a 4-3 OT win over the host Philadelphia Flyers. Tom Poti assisted on the first 2 goals of the game including a powerplay tally and Viktor Kozlov added another assist to help provide an early Caps' surge. Poti now has 6 assists on the year in 16 games. Poti snapped a 4 game point-less streak and has 3 of his 6 assists on the man advantage. On 24 games, Kozlov has 14 points on 3 goals and 11 assists. Struggling to find the net so far this season, his 3 goals are below the 5 he had at the same point last year. We will see how Kozlov does since his 25th and 26th games last season were his breakout competitions in which he scored 6 goals in about 24 hours.

* Michael Peca had a big night for the surprisingly good Columbus Blue Jackets scoring the game winning powerplay goal and adding an assist as his team blanked the host Minnesota Wild 4-0 on Friday night. The tally ended a 9 game goal-less streak and was his second game winner of the year. He now has 9 points (2 goals, 7 assists) on 14 games.

* Only 2 games back from an injury and the Ducks' Todd Bertuzzi is helping offensively again. Bert had a powerplay assist on Anaheim's second goal in their 4-3 SO loss to the visiting Phoenix Coyotes. With 9 games under his belt with the Ducks, Bertuzzi has 4 points on 1 goal and 3 assists.

* In only his second game back from injury, Sabres' forward Tim Connolly continued to provide offense. Playing in his 16th game of the season, Connolly scored a goal and added an empty net assist to improve to 14 points (2 goals, 12 assists) on the year as Buffalo beat the visiting Montreal Canadiens 4-2.

* Panthers captain Olli Jokinen scored the decisive SO goal in the 5th round of the sudden death frame to help lift his team over the visiting New York Rangers 3-2. The Florida center scored the only goal of the shootout to lift his team to victory.

* Roberto Luongo cannot do it all for Vancouver and as of late neither can Taylor Pyatt and Brad Isbister. Luongo stopped 26 of 29 shots but saw his team fall to the host St. Louis Blues 3-1. The Canucks' goaltender saw his record drop to 9-9-2 with the loss. Fellow FIs Brad Isbister and Taylor Pyatt provided the assists on the lone Vancouver goal. Now 18 games into his season, Isbister has 7 points on 2 goals and 5 assists. Over the last 5 games, Isbister has 4 points on 2 goals and 2 assists. With 22 games under his belt this season, Pyatt has 10 points on 5 goals, 5 assists.

As Thanksgiving raged on in the States, 8 teams were called into service on Thursday night in 4 heated contests around the league. Let us look at the Former Islander contributions, a nearly empty cornucopia of FI action:

* Ryan Smyth contributed an assist on the opening goal of the game as the Colorado Avalanche downed the host Edmonton Oilers 3-2. The Avs left winger now has 14 points (6 goals, 8 assists) on 21 games this year. His .67 points per game is probably well below what the Avalanche franchise was expecting when they hired him in the offseason.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Wednesday was a big night around the NHL with 22 teams in motion across 11 games. Competition is really heating up early in the season. Former Islanders keep making their contributions to their respective teams' efforts. Let us look at the FI happenings:

* Two Montreal FIs helped the Canadiens down the Islanders 4-1 at the Nassau Coliseum on Wednesday night. Center Bryan Smolinski had 2 assists and defenseman Roman Hamrlik assisted on the game winner to help lead Les Habs. Smoke now has 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists) on 21 games this year. Offensively-inclined d-man Hamrlik continued to puff up his numbers. In 21 games he has 11 points on 2 goals and 9 assists.

* Carolina forward Jeff Hamilton continues to help his team despite their recent shortcomings. Hamilton had a powerplay assist on the second Hurricanes goal in their 6-3 home loss to the Philadelphia Flyers. Only 22 games into the season, Hammy has 15 points on 5 goals and 10 assists. He has been especially effective on the powerplay notching 11 of his points (4 goals, 7 assists) with the man advantage.

* Teammate FIs Olli Jokinen and Richard Zednik are a little one-two punch right now for the Florida Panthers. They were at it again on Wednesday as they both assisted on the insurance powerplay goal as the Panthers downed the host Columbus Blue Jackets 5-2. Zed now has 12 points on 7 goals and 5 assists. The powerplay point was his 4th of the season (2 goals, 2 assists on the man advantage). Only 23 games into the season, O-Jok has 24 points on 11 goals and 13 assists. An impressive 13 points (7 goals, 6 assists) have come on the powerplay.

* Viktor Kozlov found the scoresheet again assisting on the lone Washington goal (a powerplay tally) in the Capitals' 5-1 loss to the visiting Atlanta Thrashers. Ending a 3-game point-less streak, Kozlov now has 13 points (3 goals, 10 assists) on 21 games this season. Kozlov has posted half of those assists (5) on the man advantage.

* Detroit goaltender Chris Osgood had to face only 12 shots over 60 minutes of play to post a 3-0 shutout over the visiting St. Louis Blues. The Redwings' backup man continued to shine improving to 10-1-1 on the year. Yet again his already great numbers kept getting better as he upped his save percentage to .930 and lowered his goals against average to 1.65. He is only 1 win behind his total from last season. His gaa is leading the league while his save percentage is good enough for fourth overall.

* Two games after scoring his first goal and point in almost forever, Rangers' defenseman Jason Strudwick notched his first assist of the season. On 16 games this season, Strudwick now has 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist). The assist came on the game winner as New York downed the host Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1.

* Mike York helped power the Phoenix offense as the Coyotes downed the visiting Los Angeles Kings 4-1. York opened the scoring in the first and then notched the game winning, powerplay tally in the second to help carry the Coyotes. York now has 6 points (4 goals, 2 assists) on 17 games. The goals ended a 4 game point-less streak. It was also York's first multi-goal night since December 6, 2005 when he posted a 5 point night while he was still with the Islanders. Additionally, Los Angeles center Derek Armstrong assisted on the lone Kings' goal. Armstrong has yet to tickle the twine but has 9 assists this season on 21 games.

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

Three games were up for grabs on Tuesday night. Former Islanders are swarming in almost every competition around the league. Let us take a look at their work from Tuesday includng 2 goals, 1 assist and a SO loss in net:

* Bryan McCabe opened the scoring with a powerplay tally for the Maple Leafs and Zdeno Chara helped the Bruins seal up the victory as Toronto fell to host Boston 4-2. McCabe's 4th goal of the season propelled an early Toronto offensive but was ultimate just a mark of early game oomph. McCabe, who clocked an improbable 32:55 of time, now has 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) on 16 games this season. Over the last 4 games, McCabe has 5 points on 1 goals and 4 assists, all with the man advantage. Bruins' captain Chara provided a dagger as he received the primary assist on the game winner. Chara now has 1 goal and 10 assists for 11 points on 19 games this year. He is also riding a 4 game point streak having scored 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 points. He is also carrying an assist streak having spread those 4 helpers evenly over the past 4 games.

* Roberto Luongo tries oh so hard sometimes but still cannot bail his team out. A Vancouver comeback and collapse resulted in a 5-4 SO loss to the host Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks goaltender stopped 25 of 29 in regulation and OT and another 3 of 5 in the SO frame but it was not enough. A Vezina finalist last season, Luongo is a moderate 9-8-2 this season with a respectable .912 save percentage and a pedestrian 2.49 goals against average. Most shocking of all is his 1 shutout in the 19 games he has started. Teammate Brad Isbister scored for the second straight game. On 16 games this year, Isbister has 6 points on 2 goals and 4 assists. It was his first back-to-back goal scoring nights since December 6-7, 2002 when Isbister was still with the Islanders. Isbister missed his SO attempt which would have extended the sudden death frame. FI teammate Trevor Linden did make his SO attempt, Vancouver's lone goal in the sudden death session.

Check back soon for more updates and if you do not get a chance to read for a few days Happy Thanksgiving! All the best from FIW.

The NHL doubled the work load on Monday night with 6 games. Twelve teams were at full tilt battling for points. Former Islanders were in the picture scoring 5 points on 2 goals and 3 assists. Let us take a peek at their work:

* Olli Jokinen is hands down the only reason why the Florida Panthers can compete on a nightly basis. He proved that again on Monday night as he scored 2 goals, including the game winner, in Florida's 4-3 win over the host Washington Capitals. Both even strength goals, O-Jok notched his 10th and 11th goals of the year. Recipient of the first star of the game, Jokinen now has 23 points (11 goals, 12 assists) on only 22 games this year. The only blemish is his -6 rating which is not surprising considering Florida's complete reliance on him at center and their general lack of defensive ability. Receiving the primary assist on both Jokinen goals was fellow FI Richard Zednik. Zed received the second star for his efforts and improved to 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists) on 18 games this season. A spotty player, the multi-point effort was Zednik's 3rd of the season.

* Blues' defenseman Eric Brewer was credited with the secondary assist on the opening goal in St. Louis' 2-1 win over the visiting Nashville Predators. After fighting off a minor injury, Brewer has rebounded to pocket 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) on 14 games this season.

Former Islander Watch is here for the fans across the NHL, our niche perspective only reinforces our love of the sport and for our team in general. Check back soon for more updates here at FIW.

A little slow down from the active Saturday night, the NHL spun out 3 games on Sunday. Let us take a look at the smattering of Former Islander happenings including the 2 wins in net, 2 goals and 1 assist:

* Chris Osgood got back to winning, the hard way, after dropping his first decision since January last week. Ozzie backstopped the Detroit Redwings to a 5-4 SO victory over the host Columbus Blue Jackets. He had to stopped 36 of 40 shots in the first 65 minutes and another 3 of 5 in the SO frame to accomplish the task. With the win, Osgood improved to an impressive 9-1-0 with a wonderful save percentage (.926) and a quality goals against average (1.80). What makes the gaa even more of a feat is that Osgood has yet to get a shutout this season.

* Four FIs were actively involved in the 4-1 Vancouver win over visiting Calgary on Sunday night. Canucks' goaltender Roberto Luongo stopped 29 of 30 shots to jump back up over the .500 mark. Luongo is now 9-8-1 on the season. Teammate Brad Isbister capped the scoring with his first goal of the season. On 15 games this year, Isbister has 1 goal and 4 assists for 5 points. The goal snapped a 32 game goal-less streak dating back to December 21, 2006 when he was still playing with the New York Rangers. Getting tagged with the secondary assist on that goal was Taylor Pyatt. Trying to rediscover his scoring touch, Pyatt now has 9 points (5 goals, 4 assists) on 19 games this season. Finally, their was Flames' defenseman Adrian Aucoin who scored the lone goal for his team. The tally was his second of the season. Now 20 games into the season, Aucoin has 9 points on 2 goals and 7 assists. He is second among Flames defenseman in points.

Ten games were in full swing on Saturday night as the NHL continues to rev up its action. Competition is hot in the first third of the season as teams jockey for positioning. Former Islanders are instrumental on so many of those teams. Let us take a look at the FI contributions from Saturday night including 3 goals and 8 assists for 11 points (9 of those points from defenseman alone):

* Not to be one-upped by a foe FI defenseman, Roman Hamrlik shone in the Montreal Canadiens' 7-4 explosive win over the visiting Boston Bruins. Of course the rival d-man we are mentioning is Bruins' captain Zdeno Chara who also flashed some offensive brilliance. Hamrlik scored the game-winning goal and added an assist to cap a multi-point effort, his second such game of the season. In 19 games, Hamrlik has been an on-and-off force for Les Habs scoring 2 goals and 8 assists for 10 points. He has also taken a gentlemanly low 8 penalty minutes. Before Hamrlik turned it on Chara was there to bolster the early competition. Chara scored his first goal of the season and added a powerplay assist for a 2 point night. Chara has posted reasonable, yet mixed numbers, so far this season having now scored 10 points (1 goal, 9 assists) on 18 games this year. The tally snapped a 23 game goal-less streak dating back to last spring. As well, Chara extended his current point-scoring streak to 3 games having scored 1 goal and 3 assists for 4 points in that time.

* Defensive journeyman Brent Sopel had a couple of less-than-ordinary assists for Chicago in their 5-3 win over the host, Western Conference-leading Detroit Redwings. Sopel was credited with a shorthanded assist in the second and added a helper on the emtpy net goal for his first multi-point game since December 29, 2006, two teams ago with the Los Angeles Kings. Not renowned as an offensive powerhouse, Sopel has provided a stable 5 points (all assists) on 17 games this season. Let us go one stat further, the shorthanded assist was Sopel's second of the season. Sopel had gone 149 regular season games between shorthanded goals when he scored his first of the season on October 6, but he now has 2 in a span of only 16 games. Quite a step-up after 6+ years without any of these specialty helpers.

* As the Carolina Hurricanes downed the visiting Florida Panthers 2-1 on Saturday night, competing FIs yet again contributed. Jeff Hamilton received the secondary, powerplay assist on the opening goal of the game. On 21 games this season, Hamilton has 14 points on 5 goals and 9 assists. He has been especially effective on special teams where he has 4 goals and 6 assists with the man advantage. Panthers' captain Olli Jokinen gave as much as he could providing a powerplay assist in the too-little-too-late goal to conclude the game scoring. On 21 games this year, O-Jok has 9 goals and 12 assists for 21 points. With the assist, Jokinen snapped a 2 game point-less streak. Jokinen has also been very efficient on the powerplay scoring 7 of his 9 goals and an additional 5 extra man assists.

* Not famed for his mental acumen, Maple Leafs defenseman Bryan McCabe flashed some brilliance from his strong suit, offense, on Saturday night. Toronto blanked the Eastern Conference-leading Ottawa Senators 3-0 at home, with McCabe scoring powerplay assists on the first two goals. McCabe received first star of the game and now has 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists) on 15 games this year. He has scored 4 assists in the last 3 games all on the man advantage. In fact, the powerplay has been his saving grace as 7 of his 9 points (2 goals, 5 assists) have come with the extra skater.

* Out of the "I haven't heard that name in a while" file comes defenseman Jason Strudwick who scored the OT game winner in the New York Rangers' 4-3 win over the host Pittsburgh Penguins. Playing in his 14th game of the season, Strudwick notched his first point of the year. Where do you start with a rarity like this? The goal snapped a 49 game goal-less AND point-less streak dating back to January 28, 2006! It was Strudwick's first game winner since November 21, 2000 (last century!). A career 11 goal scorer, this was only the 2nd game winner ever for Strudwick.

Check back with FIW for more exciting, crazy and enlightening updates.